Iowa State Travels North To Battle NDSU

AMES, Iowa – The Iowa State wrestling team (5-1 overall, 1-0 Big 12) travels to Fargo, N.D. this weekend for the second time in school history for a Saturday night showdown with North Dakota State (2-2 overall, 0-0 WWC).

Where: Fargo, N.D. – Bison Sports Arena (5,830) When: Saturday, Dec. 14, 7 p.m. CDT Webcast:gobison.com (24-hour pass available for $7)Live Stats: Live stats will be available at trackwrestling.com. Live Blog: Michael DeBates, student assistant for athletics communications, will be holding a live blog during the dual. Fans are encouraged to participate in the blog by asking questions.

Cyclone Notebook - No. 2 Kyven Gadson has a 20-match dual win streak dating back to Nov. 25, 2012 vs. Old Dominion. Gadson went 15-0 last season in duals and is 5-0 in duals this season. - No. 5 Michael Moreno is set for a top-6 showdown at 165 pounds with No. 6 Steven Monk of NDSU. - Moreno was pinned by Monk in last season’s dual, but avenged the loss by pinning Monk at the ASICS University Nationals this summer in Akron, Ohio. - Redshirt freshman Lelund Weatherspoon leads the 2013-14 Cyclones in overall wins with 15. The Jackson, Mich., native made his debut in the 174-pound rankings this week at No. 14 after taking fifth-place at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. - Sophomore Earl Hall leads ISU in pins with four pins. - Like Weatherspoon, Hall also made his debut in the national rankings this week. InterMat has him pegged at No. 20, and some polls have him slotted as high as No. 12 at 125 pounds. - The Cyclones’ 20-15 win over Old Dominion on Nov. 24 was the 700th dual win all-time vs. active Division I opponents. - Redshirt sophomore Logan Molina will be making his road dual debut at 157 pounds to fill an injury void left by senior John Nicholson. Nicholson injured his shoulder in Las Vegas and was forced to injury default out of the tournament. Molina is 6-2 overall on the season and 5-0 in dual competition. - Senior Boaz Beard will be making his much anticipated season debut after being sidelined up to his point with an elbow injury. Beard, a two-time NCAA-qualifier at 184 pounds, is ranked No. 9 in the latest InterMat poll.

Last Time Out - Iowa State took 8th-place with 62.5 points at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational despite not having two starters (Beard and Gadson) and losing John Nicholson to injury. - Five Cyclones place in the tournament, led by All-American Michael Moreno. - Moreno, the top-seed at 165 pounds, took second as he was defeated by No. 3 Nick Sulzer of Virginia 5-2 in the championship match. - Earl Hall went 3-3 en route to 8th-place at 125 pounds. The Homestead, Fla., native had two wins over top-12 opponents, including a 5-3 win over No. 6 Josh Martinez of Air Force. - Gabe Moreno finished 7th at 141 pounds. Moreno went 4-1 after losing his opening match en route to the medal stand. The Urbandale, Iowa, native notched two pins and a 5-3 win over No. 11 seed Cole Mendenhall of Wyoming in the tournament. - Wrestling up a weight class at 184 pounds, Tanner Weatherman took 8th after going 4-3. Weatherman trailed 5-1 in the third period to UNI’s Kyle Lux before forcing overtime and eventually winning the match 12-8 to remain alive in the wrestle backs. - Lelund Weatherspoon went 5-2 en route to a 5th-place finish at 174 pounds. Weatherspoon took down No. 9 seed Bryce Hammond of CSU-Bakersfield 15-5 in the fifth-place match to end the tournament on a high note.

Series Notes vs. NDSU - Iowa State leads the all-time series with NDSU 2-0. - The Cyclones and Bison first met on the mat in 2008, a dual in which ISU won 42-0. The 2008 matchup was the last time ISU traveled to Fargo. - Saturday night’s showdown will be the first time a Kevin Jackson led ISU squad wrestles in Fargo. - In last season’s dual at Hilton Coliseum between the two schools, ISU trailed 18-6 before winning the final four matches en route to a 22-18 dual win.